Tuesday, June 07, 2005

…with this, I am leaving now for a taping of a live show on AlJazeera (Al-Ittijah Al-Mu’akis) dealing with Lebanon. I will then be leaving for a couple of days in DC, and a couple of days in London, and then to Lebanon, where I will be staying until around July 19th. I will be working on several projects all dealing with Lebanon. I will be working on a second edition of my Historical Dictionary of Lebanon, a book on the clash of political identities in Lebanon, and a short primer on the Myths of the Lebanese “Revolution.” The latter will deal with the recent elections, and will require that I conduct several interviews between Syria and Lebanon (assuming that I will find people to talk to me—if they don’t, I will just do what US correspondents in the Middle East do: hire me a bevy of translators, body guards, chefs, personal trainers, butlers, shoe shiners, gardeners, and potato slicers, and just talk to cab drivers, a “Western diplomat” in this capital or that, and a terrorism “expert”). I will be updating the blog from the various places that I will be at—yes, they have the internet in Arab lands. For technological reasons, I will not be posting pictures or paintings. I don’t travel with a computer, and simply use internet cafes. But I am warning you: I bought my first camera ever (an S500 Cannon recommended to me by a Los Angeles Times photographer) and I will be taking hundreds of pictures during my trip--all for the site, and will then post upon my return. I will be visiting museums and galleries for that purpose. To help maintain my site during my absence, please submerge your computers in hot boiling olive oil twice a day. For friends and media, my hotel number in Beirut is left on the answering machine of my home in California.

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

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